


The Golden Alliance

by LadyEvercroft



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Gen, Multi, Pre-Time Skip, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-11-07 19:51:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20822876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyEvercroft/pseuds/LadyEvercroft
Summary: The reader is a student at the Officers Academy at Garreg Mach Monastery. Living day to day brings one odd situation after another as more of the world's mysteries and controversies are uncovered.





	1. Obvious Intrigue

**Author's Note:**

> Notes for reader insert:  
[Y/N] = Insert Your Name.  
While I write with the intent for all audiences to enjoy, the reader insert will lean towards feminine.  
Thank you for reading!

“Come on! Wake! Up!” 

Loud banging on your door nearly rattled the books off your shelves. You rolled over in bed quickly, attempting to jump out of bed. A cocoon of blankets held your legs fast, causing a face plant you wouldn’t soon forget. Kicking away the snare, you scrambled to your feet. The strewn clothes all over the small dorm room provided the perfect quick outfit, albeit a strange one. Buttoning the last button, slipping into your worn boots, and running your fingers through your hair, you were ready to roll. 

Leonie Pinelli, a dear friend of yours, stood with a cocked hip right outside your door. “Jeez, it took you long enough. We have to go, now!” She grabbed your hand and you both ran up the steps towards your house rooms. The small adrenaline rush made you laugh out loud, which spread to Leonie in no time. Giggling all the way through the garden and around the corner, you felt you could have made it off the hook. Until you both nearly flattened Professor Hanneman and Edelgard von Hresvelg, speaking quietly outside of the Golden Deer house room. 

Skidding to a stop, you and Leonie panted awkwardly in the presence of these authority figures you barely knew. The Black Eagles professor and the princess of the Empire, no less. Your could feel your cheeks grow hot. 

“Girls,” Hanneman nodded politely. Perhaps awkwardly. Edelgard cleared her throat. 

“Sorry! We were just..passing through on our..way to class,” you replied, stifling a giggle at the general discomfort of the meeting. Sliding by, the two of you gently pushed the Golden Deer door open and slithered in. As you disappeared into the room, you gave one last glance. Edelgard’s piercing eyes caught you at the last moment, and a chill ran up your spine. 

“-sword makes contact with the enemy. I see our very own Leonie and [Y/N] have decided to grace us with a grand appearance. Come in girls, have a seat,” Professor Manuela chimed, dripping with that lovely sarcastic nature of hers. 

Leonie had seated herself in the empty chair at the back between two students you didn’t know, leaving you with the last remaining seat: between Lorenz Hellman Glaucester and Claude von Reigan himself. Whatever blush remained from the run in with the princess doubled now that you’d have to sit between these two noblemen. 

Claude offered you a charming smile, and quite possibly a wink; you were too nervous to get a good look at his face. Lorenz gave a polite nod of acknowledgement, and that was it. Claude leaned back in his chair, relaxed as ever, and Manuela continued instruction. 

While the head of the house was meant to be approachable, understanding, helpful and kind, you had always known the line between commoners and nobles a little too well to comfortably approach a noble. Much less, the heir to the entire Leicester Alliance. And yet, there he was, unbothered by anything. Arms crossed behind his head, leaned back in his chair, head in the clouds, and so _ normal _. It didn’t hurt that he was cute. 

You risked a peek in his direction. Noticing you, the corner of his mouth curved into a half-smile. Effortless. You quickly looked back at your own papers in front of you, scattered and disastrous. On the right, you heard Claude chuckle and on the left you heard Lorenz shift in his chair. You looked from the corner of your eyes and could feel his discomfort coming off of him like heat from the sun. Two sides of the same nobility coin, you thought to yourself. Comparing the heir to one county in the alliance to the heir to the whole alliance seemed unfair, but Lorenz always seemed off putting. Perhaps he deserved to be compared to nobles a little less uptight. 

Class eventually came to a close and a flustered Manuela hurried off to help teach the other houses. You’d noticed a lack of support for the professors recently, namely Manuela and Hanneman as they were stuck teaching the upperclassmen of the three houses. Admittedly, you didn’t know much about the process of hiring new professors or finding aid for these two, but it seemed odd that the church would let them run ragged trying to keep up with the classes harboring the three most important students in the entire academy. 

The third being the heir to the Kingdom throne: Dimitri Blaiddyd. As a commoner, you didn’t know much about the noble students personally. Sure, there were rumors, history books on the families, and one could watch the nobles and see for themselves how they act; however, you just weren’t one to try squeezing into that information circle. 

Leonie was similar. Perhaps you’d adopted some of your mannerisms from her. After all, your neighboring villages saw you two out to be good friends. She taught you how to hunt for your own food, you taught her how to be thrifty in trying times. And so, coming to the Officers Academy after she did, she was happy to show you the ropes. Among those ropes was the skill of avoiding nobles when it was unnecessary to interact. 

Claude was a necessity as the house leader. Lorenz was an occasional requirement during house tasks. Similarly, Hilda Goneril, Lysithea Ordelia, and Marianne von Edmund were people you needed to know as noble members of the Golden Deer house. Otherwise, it was just Leonie and her small friend group for you. Of course you had to interact with Professor Manuela. Less often, Professor Hanneman. And, for you personally, a boy from the Blue Lions house, Ashe Ubert. Although adopted by a noble and therefore noble by technicality, he had been born a commoner and knew the struggle that you and Leonie knew. 

Watching the students pour out of the house classroom, you let Lorenz and Claude excuse themselves before you moved. Had to be sure you didn’t accidentally offend or get in the way. Lorenz avoided you entirely without a second thought. Claude, however, gave you the respect of a nod and a “see you later.” Awkward as you felt, Claude still managed to charm you all the same. As the boys left, Leonie walked over, shouting a quick goodbye to one of her friends. 

“Hey, [Y/N], you want to come to the training grounds with me? I hear some of the Blue Lions are over there and I want to watch,” she beamed excitedly. You could appreciate her dedication to training and her open mindedness in watching competitors to learn from them. 

“I’ve got library duty today, but I’ll catch up with you later. Lunch in the dining hall?” 

She sucked in a breath through clenched teeth. “Oh, sorry, I forgot. I made plans with-“

“That’s okay,” you interrupted with a giggle. “I was hoping it might be postponed. I was roped into helping with the greenhouse duty as well.” 

“Hilda?” 

“Hilda.” 

You both laughed knowingly. Saying your goodbyes, she disappeared into the crowd of students and you stayed behind to gather your papers. Among your scribbled notes, schedule, and various other scraps you found a neatly folded crisp piece of stationary. Your first instinct was to assume it was misplaced. On closer inspection, it seemed to have been purposefully left with you. 

Picking up the dainty letter, you read it carefully. 

Dearest [Y/N], 

As of late, I have taken notice in your interest in Claude von Reigan. I am aware that you have acceptable skills in magic as well as exceptional ability with steeds. Perhaps you would be better off focusing your time to your studies. Should your slacking off persist, worse consequences are surely to come. However, I have made time to discuss the subject of Claude with you further, considering your obvious intrigue. Please meet with me at the gazebo this evening for a thorough discussion and a pot of tea. 

Signed in a cursive style handwriting you’d never encountered before was Lorenz’s name. 

Your brows furrowed as you read over the letter again. What interest had you shown in Claude lately that warranted this? Had your face really given all of this off just today? You couldn’t remember staring or being “obviously intrigued” with the house leader before. Although, you weren’t the most attentive when it came to class time. Perhaps you’d been caught staring off into space more than once in Claude’s direction. Even so, that didn’t quite explain the tone of the letter. 

Folding the stationary back, you tucked it into your pocket and gathered your belongings. The only way to know the real intent was to meet Lorenz at the gazebo that evening. More than half of you screamed no, wanting to stay far away from the entire situation. However, you knew your curiosity would never forgive you if you rejected. 

The decision was made on your way to the library. Planning wasn’t your strong point, and you weren’t sure if you should get Leonie involved. It might make her uncomfortable, or it would more likely make her question Lorenz’s motives and worry for your wellbeing. Deciding against informing Leonie, you rationalized that you would simply tell her after the meeting, supposing it was actually interesting enough to speak of. 

Regardless of who you told or how it would go, you only knew one thing for certain. That evening you would meet Lorenz Hellman Glaucester at the gazebo for tea and a discussion on Claude von Reigan. 


	2. Suspicion Abounds

The library always looked like an utterly boring place to be. Dim lighting that made you sleepy, a few stray monks here and there, and Tomas the elderly librarian didn’t brighten the mood for you. Nevertheless, these were only in appearance. You knew there was much more to be found in the library than appearances. 

You quite enjoyed library duty, though you wouldn’t tell anyone. You certainly preferred the training grounds and stables with Leonie, but your secret interest is what directly fed your magical ability. One of your secret tricks to your learning was watching which books Lysithea showed interest in and reading them after her. More commonly known for being so young an upperclassman, Lysithea was a very talented mage and you took note. 

Climbing the steps to the second floor, you wondered what tasks Tomas would have for you today. Normally, it would be organizing the books not yet on shelves, or replacing books that had been left out or brought back. You didn’t have a problem with these jobs. You liked the peace and quiet most of the time. However, it was the jobs Tomas had recently been giving you that had you more interested as of late. 

Once you reached the library, you scanned for faces out of habit. A few monks, one of the Black Eagles noble boys, Ignatz Victor from your own house, two Blue Lions students you barely recognized, and Claude. You couldn’t remember ever seeing Claude in the library before, so you were a bit surprised. Given the topic of the recent letter, you almost thought Lorenz sent Claude here to spy on you observing him. Though you didn’t know Lorenz to be so convoluted. Shrugging it off, you made your way to Tomas. 

“Good afternoon, [Y/N],” Tomas smiled, setting down a few papers he’d held. Patting the papers and smiling again, Tomas said, “just a moment, I’ll be right back with your assignment.” With that, he wandered off out the door and down the hall. He was a curious old man, even in the few months you’d known him. He was very familiar with the monastery - 40 years of familiarity, to be precise - and had just returned from a hiatus of sorts. All you knew was that he had left the monastery eight years prior and suddenly returned, resuming his role as if nothing had changed. You didn’t mind; he was a sweet old man. 

As soon as he was out the door, your eyes wandered to the papers. He couldn’t have possibly wanted to keep their contents secret, not with the way he deliberately patted them and left them unattended. Smiling to yourself, your hand drifted towards them. Just a peek wouldn’t hurt. 

“[Y/N]!” 

Jumping nearly out of your skin, your head jerked around to find Claude standing quite a bit closer than you’d remembered. Snapping your hand back from the pile, you sheepishly grinned at your house leader. 

“You weren’t about to look through Tomas’ papers now, were you?” 

The question was loaded, obviously, but there was no getting out of it. You were about to answer until you saw a sly smile creep onto the boy’s face. 

“What I meant was, you weren’t about to look through them without me, right?” His laugh was contagious and you relented to a laugh as well. “He was pretty blunt with his signals, wasn’t he? Devious old man. I wonder what he left here for us,” Claude inquired playfully. 

“I suppose if anyone must be tasked with finding out, I’ll volunteer,” you played off of the mischievous air. You were willing to let your guard down slightly as this noble was more welcoming than some commoners even were. Even so, you wouldn’t give way so much so that Lorenz’s letter held any ground. 

Reaching for the pile once again, you took the papers in your hands and divided them among you and your company. The two of you had a brief moment to look into the mysterious pile before Tomas appeared in the doorway. 

“[Y/N], I have your tasks for the day,” he announced, walking slowly and with his eyes on the single paper in his hand. With one look between the two of you, you and Claude both silently agreed to set the papers down quickly and not speak of it. He darted off, back to his corner of the library, but not without a quick wink in your direction. You nodded back to him before turning your full attention to the librarian.

As if nothing had happened at all, Tomas pulled you away to your tasks. Out of the library and down the hall. As you were pulled out the door, you looked one last time at the pile of papers. Of course, what you saw was Claude’s curious eyes looking the same way. Perhaps you’d catch him later and ask what he found there, knowing full well that he would look through them in Tomas’ absence. 

Sadly, the day’s tasks were not all too exciting. Especially the greenhouse tasks. Much of that time was spent chastising yourself under your breath for falling for Hilda’s nonsense again. It wasn’t long, though, before your day was done and you could relax. 

There was still about three hours left before the sun would start setting, so you had time to think. Returning to your room, you found the same familiar mess you’d left it in. “I suppose it’s time I clean this up a bit,” you said aloud, assessing the room. Thinking over odd situations was well paired with absent minded cleaning. 

_ What is it that Lorenz wants to achieve here _ , you asked yourself.  _ He wants to meet about Claude. About my interest in Claude. An interest I was barely aware that I had. Not to mention Lorenz’s own disinterest in me. How could he have noticed anything?  _

You spent some time traversing the tunnels of your mind, trying to decide what the real intentions of this evening’s meeting would be. Before you knew it, you’d thrown all your clothes into a pile, effectively blocking the door. The way you noticed was hearing someone clearing their throat and turning to find that Leonie was standing behind a mountain of fabric in your doorway. 

“I see you’re hard at work, so I won’t keep you long. Some letters came in today for you and I was asked to bring them,” she explained. The two of you looked at the clothes, then back at each other and laughed. She tossed the letters over to you. “I suppose this is what you’ll be spending your evening on?”

“Actually I-” You stopped yourself, remembering that you were going to keep the meeting a secret. “I, um, I’m...going out. Alone. T-to stargaze,” you stammered. A forced smile sat on your face as you resisted the urge to slap yourself in the forehead. 

Leonie crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. “To stargaze, huh?” 

“Yep. Stargaze.” 

Nodding slowly, Leonie replied, “uh-huh. Is that so.”

“Y-yes.” 

“Well, you seem pretty set on it, so I’ll leave you be,” she smiled back, her eyes still suspicious. The door closed slowly, in part due to the clothes blocking the way. 

_ Good. Great. I’m suspicious, now she’ll follow me, _ you scolded yourself. You quickly got lost in thought as you shuffled through the letters.  _ How will I sneak past Leonie, the slyest-  _ your thought was cut short as your attention was brought back to reality. One specific piece with an odd cursive lettering. A specific odd cursive lettering. 

Pulling the envelope open, a piece of stationary dropped to the floor. A familiar name was signed ostentatiously at the bottom. 

Dearest [Y/N], 

I regret to admit that our plans must change. Unsightly as it may be, you and I simply can not meet at sundown, nor may we meet at the gazebo. I must insist that you join me as tonight’s moon reaches its apex. Our meeting grounds will be at the well which resides near the cathedral. I suspect you will not disappoint. 

As before, Lorenz’s name filled the bottom right corner. It must have been

scribbled in a hurry, seeing as the writing was significantly sloppier. A sudden change in plans, sloppy handwriting, sending a letter with others instead of slipping it under your door.  _ He must really want to keep this a secret.  _

Pondering this new development, you gave in to cleaning the cloth mountain and leaving your room. A meal would do you some good, and perhaps you could convince Leonie that you weren’t, in fact, losing your mind or planning something nefarious. And mentally prepare for meeting Lorenz in the dead of night by a well. 


End file.
